Supporting Mothers Back to Work is Smart Business

Tuesday 3 March 2026

By Laura Dowie, Director of Timely Careers, part of The WiB Group.

Northern Ireland and the dreaded ‘talent drain’ are, unfortunately, two words you’ll frequently find in the same sentence. Yet students are not the only skillset slipping through the gaps in our economy.

It is a quieter exodus, often occurring right when leadership capability and sector know-how are just beginning to peak. I am, of course, talking about working mothers, who perhaps stepped back from the workforce initially for a short career pause that then becomes a prolonged absence. Absence driven not by lack of ambition but an inflexible job structure, exorbitant childcare costs and, frankly, outdated expectations of when and how work should be done.

The fact that 85% of mothers in the UK leave full-time employment within three years after having children is a statistic worth repeating. For these skilled women, attempting to tend to a career while juggling childcare or indeed caring responsibilities becomes a non-zero-sum game.

And nobody wins. Not the employer. Not the wider economy. And certainly not the working mother whose career inevitably slips down life’s eternal to-do list. This disconnect has a far-reaching cost, too. Employers spend more on recruitment, teams lose vital experience, and Northern Ireland’s economy is left wanting for gender representation at the top end of the career ladder. Whether in our board rooms or senior management teams, the added insight and resilience that women leaders bring becomes a potential that’s rarely realised.

It’s then the inconvenient truth that isn’t talked about often enough: the longer-term impact of women either stepping back or leaving the workforce altogether. That’s why the theme for International Women’s Day, Give to Gain, is so timely.

Without concrete support structures in place, we risk losing women nearing the peak of their careers. Creating a situation where women returning to work feel they need to start over, rather than pick up where they left off. Perhaps job descriptions begin to feel unfamiliar or even overwhelming. Networks can fade. That sense of identity becomes lost.

This is where the business case for a more inclusive approach comes to the fore. Flexible and returner-focused roles are not concessions; they are strategic multipliers. Parents who are supported back into meaningful, well-designed work are significantly more likely to remain economically active, contribute at a higher level and stay longer in roles that fit their lives.

Initiatives such as tailored return-to-work programmes and flexible hiring platforms are demonstrating what’s possible. With over 2,400 women now registered on the Timely Careers platform, the demand for flexible work is clear. What we offer is a free pathway back into the workforce, through one-to-one coaching and career support that, in turn, enables employers to shape stronger teams, improve retention in the long-term, and help build a more sustainable, future-fit workforce. A talent net, harnessing working mothers and their unique skillset as a positive driving force for our economy.

Tuesday 3 March 2026